THE BRITISH ARMY 01T THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE. 
157 
DISCUSSION. 
Chairman— Gentlemen, the Secretary lias a letter which, I believe, he wishes 
to read to .you. 
The Secretary —I have here a letter from a gentleman who much regrets 
not being able to be present, and who, before I read it, I may say is one of the 
greatest authorities, of the two English speaking races, on the history of 
modern Germany both in private and military life and who has enjoyed excep¬ 
tional opportunities of studying the German national history; his letter is as 
follows : — 
Eeform Club, 
Pall Mall, 
My Dear Abdy— Novemher 22nd , 1896. 
I should without fail come down for next Thursday’s lecture 
were I not already engaged in a great American function. 
Particularly at this meeting of yours should I like to be present, because of the 
relations between Germany and this country. The Teutonic mind is to-day inflamed 
against everything emanating from England, notably in matters colonial and 
Egyptian. Germany appears willing to sacrifice a great deal for the mere satis¬ 
faction of spiting John Bull. It is at such a time, and before such an audience 
as the eloquent Dr. Maguire is sure to bring together, that it might be in place 
to rise and remind the Eatherland what Englishmen did for their liberty in the 
trying days between the disgrace of Jena and the triumph of Waterloo. Germans 
to-day need sadly to recall that in those years England generously sent to her 
not only arms and ammunition, but money as well—even at times when the King 
of Prussia was an ally if not a vassal of Napoleon. It might perhaps be useful to 
remind the warlike politicians of to-day that in 1813 Prussian troops marched 
against France clad in British uniforms, armed with British muskets and fed at 
the expense of British taxpayers. 
But I have already bored you enough, so good-bye. 
Your friend, 
Poultney Bigelow. 
Chairman —Gentlemen, I call on Major Murdoch to speak next. 
Major (Q.M.) 11. H. Murdoch, E.A.—General Maurice and Comrades : you 
will, I am sure, quite understand how much I need your indulgence in rising 
under a weighty sense of the responsibility and the honor of being called on at 
this point to offer some observations. I shall, however, endeavour not to go be¬ 
yond the end of the XVII. century—the first of the three centuries of history 
compressed so marvellously in the lecture this evening. I have had sufficient 
experience of Dr. Maguire’s general accuracy of research to avoid attempting any 
corrective criticism; and the highest compliment I can pay him is by contributing 
my mite towards enhancing the professional value of his very interesting lecture. 
But as the lecturer has gone over the whole range of the sciences—general history, 
geography, topography, strategy, tactics, not forgetting politics—there only remains 
for me— 
“ Of the Arms, and of the Man, to sing.” 
Dr. Maguire has displayed much acumen in taking for his starting point the end 
of the Seventy Years’ JVar, the true dividing line between ancient and medio- 
modern European history—a war which inflicted a mortal but lingering blow 
against the weapons of the old world, panoplied armour of chivalry, Scythian 
chariots with scythed wheels, javelins and pikes, bows and arrows, cross-bows 
